11-year-old boy accidentally shot by neighbor in Suitland, police say

SUITLAND, Md. - An 11-year-old boy is in critical condition after an accidental shooting at a townhouse in Suitland, Prince George's County police say.

The shooting happened in the 3000 block of Bellamy Way at around 6:40 p.m. Tuesday.

According to police, a 33-year-old male neighbor was watching the child in his townhouse when his weapon accidentally discharged while he was putting it away. The boy, who was in the same room as the man, suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body.

Police say the man, who is believed to be a former member of the miliary, raced the child in his car to the hospital at Joint Base Andrews. The doctors stabilized the boy enough where he could be transported to Children's National Medical Center where he underwent surgery.

"We do believe this was a tragic, tragic accident," said Prince George's County police spokesperson Jennifer Donelan. "The 33-year-old man is distraught. We are speaking with him now. We are very much in the early stages of this investigation, so there are some questions we are not going to be able to answer at this point. He is distraught, he is cooperative, he is speaking with us. This was a child he had been asked to take care of when this tragic accident occurred."